U.S. patent number 6,685,087 [Application Number 10/062,347] was granted by the patent office on 2004-02-03 for security system for validation of credit card transactions.
This patent grant is currently assigned to International Business Machines Corporation. Invention is credited to Michael Wayne Brown, Rabindranath Dutta, Michael A. Paolini, Newton James Smith, Jr..
United States Patent |
6,685,087 |
Brown , et al. |
February 3, 2004 |
Security system for validation of credit card transactions
Abstract
A method, computer program and system for alerting authorities
during a transaction card authorization process, that a crime is in
progress without alerting the perpetrator that an alert has been
given. During a transaction card authorization process, the vendor
attaches a code to the vendor identification sent to the
authorization center. The code may be a normal code or a duress
code. In either situation, the entered code is compared to the
stored duress code. If a duress code has been entered, then the
authorities are notified and the account transaction is approved,
although at a slower rate than normal to provide authorities time
to respond. Any attempt to contact the person under duress is
delayed to avoid tipping off the perpetrator that an alarm has been
sent.
Inventors: |
Brown; Michael Wayne
(Georgetown, TX), Dutta; Rabindranath (Los Angeles, CA),
Paolini; Michael A. (Round Rock, TX), Smith, Jr.; Newton
James (Austin, TX) |
Assignee: |
International Business Machines
Corporation (Armonk, NY)
|
Family
ID: |
27610301 |
Appl.
No.: |
10/062,347 |
Filed: |
January 31, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
235/380;
235/382 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q
10/107 (20130101); G06Q 20/4037 (20130101); G06Q
30/06 (20130101); G07F 7/08 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06Q
30/00 (20060101); G06Q 10/00 (20060101); G07F
7/08 (20060101); G06K 005/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;235/379,380,382
;705/16,17,18 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Le; Thien M.
Assistant Examiner: Caputo; Lisa M.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Byrd; Cynthia S. Streets &
Steele Streets; Jeffrey L.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method for alerting authorities during transaction card
authorization comprising: receiving an authorization request
message from a vendor regarding an account of a customer, wherein
the authorization request includes a confirmation code of the
vendor and wherein the confirmation code entered by the vendor
selectively includes either a duress code or a normal code; and
notifying authorities of a suspected crime in progress if the
confirmation code includes the duress code.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the duress code is selected from
one or more pre-determined alphanumeric characters added to the
beginning of the confirmation code and one or more predetermined
alphanumeric characters added to the end of the confirmation
code.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: entering the duress
code whenever the vendor suspects an account transaction to be
criminal.
4. The method of claim 3, further comprising: entering the normal
code whenever the vendor does not suspect an account transaction to
be criminal, wherein the normal code is any one or more
alphanumeric characters other than the pre-determined alphanumeric
characters of the duress code.
5. The method of claim 2, wherein the vendor enters the duress code
whenever the vendor suspects a transaction card used in the account
transaction is stolen, the vendor suspects a debit card used in the
account transaction is stolen, the vendor is under a threat to
proceed with the transaction, a customer is under a threat to
proceed with the transaction, or combinations thereof.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving an account
approval request from the vendor, wherein the sent duress code is
contained in the confirmation code; retrieving a vendor record from
a verification database, wherein the stored duress code is
contained in the vendor record; comparing the sent duress code with
the stored duress code; and notifying the authorities if the sent
duress code matches the stored duress code.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the authorities are selected from
law enforcement, alarm system provider, business manager, private
security provider and combinations thereof.
8. The method of claim 6, wherein the notifying means is selected
from a telephone call using a recorded message, an interactive
voice response system, a computer network connection displaying the
notification on a display screen, and combinations thereof.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of notifying authorities
further comprises: retrieving a vendor record from a verification
database, wherein contact numbers for the authorities are contained
in the vendor record; calling the contact numbers of the
authorities; providing a name and address of the vendor to the
authorities, the name and address of the vendor being contained in
the vendor record; and alerting the authorities of a possible crime
in progress at the address of the vendor.
10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: responding with an
approval message in pre-determined extended time frame to provide
the authorities time to respond to the notification.
11. A computer program product comprising: receiving instructions
for receiving an authorization request message from a vendor
regarding an account of a customer, wherein the authorization
request includes a confirmation code of the vendor and wherein the
confirmation code entered by the vendor selectively includes either
a duress code or a normal code; and notifying instructions for
notifying authorities of a suspected crime in progress if the
confirmation code includes the duress code.
12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the duress
code is selected from one or more alphanumeric characters added to
the beginning of the confirmation code and one or more alphanumeric
characters added to the end of the confirmation code.
13. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising:
receiving instructions for receiving the normal code entered by the
vendor whenever the vendor does not suspect an account transaction
to be criminal, wherein the normal code is any one or more
alphanumeric characters other than the pre-determined alphanumeric
characters of the duress code.
14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the vendor
enters the duress code whenever the vendor suspects an account
transaction to be criminal.
15. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the vendor
enters the duress code whenever the vendor suspects a transaction
card used in the account transaction is stolen, the vendor suspects
a debit card used in the account transaction is stolen, the vendor
is under a threat to proceed with the transaction, a customer is
under a threat to proceed with the transaction, or combinations
thereof.
16. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:
receiving instructions for receiving an account approval request
from the vendor, wherein the sent duress code is contained in the
confirmation code; retrieving instructions for retrieving a vendor
record from a verification database, wherein the stored duress code
is contained in the vendor record; comparing instructions for
comparing the sent duress code with the stored duress code; and
notifying instructions for notifying the authorities if the sent
duress code matches the stored duress code.
17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein to
authorities are selected from law enforcement, alarm system
provider, business manager, private security provider, and
combinations thereof.
18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the notifying
instructions are selected from initiating instructions for
initiating a telephone call using a recorded message, initiating
instructions for initiating a telephone call using an interactive
voice response system, initiating instructions for initiating a
computer network connection displaying the notification on a
display screen, and combinations thereof.
19. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the notifying
instructions for notifying authorities further comprises:
retrieving instructions for retrieving a vendor record from a
verification database, wherein contact numbers forte authorities
are contained in the vendor record; calling instructions for
calling the contact numbers of the authorities; providing
instructions for providing a name and address of the vendor to the
authorities, the name and address of the to vendor being contained
in the vendor record; and alerting instructions for alerting the
authorities of a possible crime in progress at the address of the
vendor.
20. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:
responding instructions for responding with an approval message in
a pre-determined extended time frame, wherein the extended time
frame provides authorities time to respond to the notification.
21. A system for alerting authorities during an account transaction
comprising: means for receiving an authorization request message
from a vendor regarding an account of a customer, wherein the
authorization request includes a confirmation code of the vendor
and wherein the confirmation code entered by the vendor selectively
includes either a duress code or a normal code; and means for
notifying authorities of a suspected crime in progress if the
confirmation code includes the duress code.
22. The system of claim 21, further comprising: means for receiving
an account approval request from the vendor, wherein the sent
duress code is contained in the confirmation code; means for
retrieving a vendor record from a verification database, wherein
the stored duress code is contained in the vendor record; means for
comparing the sent duress code with the stored duress code; and
means for notifying the authorities if the sent duress code matches
the stored duress code.
23. The system of claim 22, wherein the notifying means is selected
from a telephone call using a recorded message, an interactive
voice response system, a computer network connection displaying the
notification on a display screen, and combinations thereof.
24. The system of claim 21, wherein the step of notifying
authorities further comprises: means for retrieving a vendor record
from a verification database, wherein contact numbers for the
authorities are contained in the vendor record; means for calling
the contact numbers of the authorities; means for providing a name
and address of the vendor to the authorities, the name and address
of the vendor being contained in the vendor record; and means for
alerting the authorities of a possible crime in progress at the
address of the vendor.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and systems for operating
a credit card validation system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Transaction cards, such as a credit cards, debit cards, or prepaid
cards, have become a common instrument for the purchasing of a wide
variety of goods and service. When a holder of a transaction card
presents the card to a merchant in order to purchase goods,
services or distribution of currency, some form of authorization by
the card issuer is sought by the merchant in order to minimize
theft and risk of loss to the merchant. For this purpose,
electronic authorization networks have been developed wherein a
merchant uses a terminal to read account information encoded on a
magnetic strip located on the back of the transaction card. The
terminal then automatically calls a central processor, operated by
the network, that analyzes the authorization request. The call from
the terminal is typically routed through a local financial
institution or transaction card issuer. Normally, the card reader
appends a vendor code to the account information during each
transaction, wherein the vendor code identifies the business so
that proper credit for the transaction maybe given to the correct
business. A sales clerk or other vendor employee may also provide
information to be transmitted to the central processor, such as the
last four digits of the account number and the amount of the
purchase.
Along with the increased use of transaction cards, there has been
an increase in the amount of improper use of transaction cards.
However, many of the methods used to reduce or prevent improper use
of these cards require some type of verification that the card
holder or user is an authorized user, for example by requiring the
entry of a secret personal identification number (PIN).
Methods requiring this type of verification from the card holder,
while being effective in preventing use of stolen transaction
cards, have inadvertently led perpetrators to force authorized
users to provide such verification under threat of harm.
Essentially, these methods reduce transaction card theft at the
expense of the card holder's safety.
Furthermore, even if the authorized user is not herself being
threatened, conditions may exist that cause a store clerk to be
afraid of confronting an unauthorized user by refusing a proposed
transaction. Under such a real or perceived threat of harm, the
unauthorized transaction may be prevented at the expense of the
store clerk's safety.
Therefore, there is a need for a method or system that would allow
a store clerk to notify authorities of a possible fraudulent or
coerced use of a transaction card. It would be desirable if the
method or system would notify authorities without such notification
being detectable to a perpetrator.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a method, computer program product,
and system for alerting authorities during a transaction card
authorization process whenever the vendor suspects the transaction
maybe criminal and is fearful of accusing the suspect or asking the
suspect to surrender the card. The method comprises receiving a
vendor code from the vendor, with each vendor request for
transaction card authorization, wherein the vendor code selectively
includes either a duress code or a normal code. Authorities are
then notified of a suspected crime in progress if the vendor code
includes the duress code. The duress code may include one or more
alphanumeric characters added to the beginning or end of the vendor
code, where each of the one or more alphanumeric characters is
pre-determined to be the duress code. If the vendor suspects that
the account transaction is criminal, then the vendor enters the
duress code. If the transaction appears normal, then the vendor
enters alphanumeric characters other than those of the duress code
to indicate the transaction is a normal transaction. Alternatively,
the duress code may be an entirely different code, independent from
the normal vendor code.
It is anticipated that the vendor would enter the duress code
whenever the vendor suspects a transaction card used in the account
transaction is stolen, the vendor suspects a debit card used in the
account transaction is stolen, the vendor is under a threat to
proceed with the transaction, a customer is under a threat to
proceed with the transaction, or combinations thereof.
When the authorization computer receives the account approval
request from the vendor, the request will always contain the vendor
code for identification of the vendor. In many cases, the vendor
code is programmed into the card reader so that the vendor code may
be automatically transmitted as part of all account approval
requests without manual entry. Depending upon the sophistication of
the vendor's system, the amount of the proposed transaction may
either be manually entered or automatically uploaded from a cash
register for inclusion in the account approval request. Finally,
the account approval request will also include either the normal
code or the duress code.
Upon receiving the request from the vendor, the authorization
computer will retrieve a vendor record from a verification
database, wherein the stored duress code is contained in the vendor
record. The authorization computer then compares the code received
with the stored duress code, and notifies the authorities if the
sent code matches the stored duress code. The authorization
computer notifies the authorities by means selected from a
telephone call using an interactive voice response system, a
computer network connection displaying the notification on a
display screen, or combinations thereof.
The step of notifying authorities further comprises retrieving a
vendor record from a verification database, wherein contact numbers
for the relevant authorities are contained in the vendor record.
The authorization computer then uses the contact numbers to call
the authorities and provide the authorities with the name and
address of the vendor and alert the authorities of a possible crime
in progress at the address of the vendor.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the
invention will be apparent from the following more particular
description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, as
illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like reference
numbers represent like parts of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic of a system that may be used to implement the
present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a method for alerting authorities during
suspected fraudulent use of a transaction card.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present invention provides a method for using a security system
or other electronic device in a manner that provides an outward
appearance of a typical use of the security system or other
electronic device, but in reality is being used to notify
authorities of a crime in progress. More specifically, the present
invention provides for using an alternate code, or duress code, to
replace a code that must normally be entered into a security system
or other type of device. The duress code may then initiate actions
beyond the typical use of the device, such as alerting authorities
of a crime in progress. It is an advantage that the method
initiates these actions without alerting the criminal or suspect
that additional steps are being taken, thus protecting a user or
vendor from a possible violent outburst during an attempt to summon
help. When the user or vendor enters the duress code, the criminal
or suspect will believe that the entered code is a normally entered
code and not realize or be able to detect that the entered code is
a duress code. All responses to the entered duress code, as far as
the victim and criminal or suspect can immediately observe, appear
to be as if the normal code was entered.
FIG. 1 illustrates a system 10 that may be used to implement the
present invention. When a user decides to purchase goods or
services with a transaction card, the user "swipes" the card or
presents the card to the vendor who "swipes" the card through a
card reader 14 to read the transaction card number, for example,
off the magnetic strip on the back of the card. Then as prompted
through display 18, the clerk enters a confirmation code using the
keypad 16 on the card reader 14. Sometimes the clerk must also
enter a code indicating whether the transaction is a final
transaction or merely a request for pre-approval of an amount for a
future transaction. The clerk also usually must enter an amount for
the pending transaction. An automatic dialing unit included in the
card reader 14 dials a telephone number associated with the card
issuer, or other authorization service provider, and connects,
through a modem 21, for example, to the authorization computer 20
through a communications network 12. The communications network 12
may include permanent connections, such as wire or fiber optics
cables, or temporary connections made through telephone or wireless
communications. Furthermore, the system 10 may include the
Internet, representing a worldwide collection of net-works and
gateways that use the TCP/IP suite of protocols to communicate with
one another. The system 10 may also utilize a number of different
types of networks, such as, for example, an intranet, a local area
network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or a wireless network. It
should be noted that the system 10 might include additional
servers, clients, routers and other devices not shown.
The authorization computer 20 contains a validation database 28
that stores information used in the authorization process.
Alternatively, the authorization computer may be one or more
mainframe computers, servers, personal computers, or any computer
or group of computers having a processor and sufficient memory to
store the validation database 28, or combinations thereof. It will
be appreciated from the description below that the present
invention maybe implemented in software that is stored as
executable instructions on a computer readable medium on the
authorization computer's system, such as a mass storage device 22
or in memory (RAM) 24. The computer readable medium must also
include an operating system program and application programs. As a
further alternative, the authorization computer may be a part of an
account verification service provider that may connect to another
authorization computer or processor of the card issuer that then
provides the verification database for a given cardholder.
Records for each cardholder and vendor are maintained in the
verification database 28. A typical vendor record 32 may contain
information consisting of, for example, the vendor code that is
transmitted with the transaction card number requiring
authorization, a name and address of the vendor, vendor preferences
and a business type.
After the authorization computer has received the authorization
request message from the vendor, the authorization computer
searches the verification database 28 for the transaction card
number and retrieves the cardholder record 30 associated with that
transaction card number. The server also searches for the vendor
record 32 associated with the vendor code contained in the
authorization request message.
Because the authorization computer uses the vendor code to look up
the vendor record and to credit the vendor's account with the
transaction, that portion of the account approval request used by
the authorization computer to identify the vendor will preferably
remain unchanged. However, alphanumeric characters maybe added to
the request in the form of a "confirmation" code and the content of
the confirmation code may be changed under duress conditions
without affecting the capability of the authorization computer to
determine the vendor from the vendor code. The normal confirmation
code may include (or "confirm") the last four digits of the card
account number. The duress confirmation code may include a
predetermined 4-digit code and alert the authorization computer to
a duress condition. Alternatively, the duress confirmation code
maybe entered by adding at least one pre-determined digit before
the confirmation code, adding at least one pre-determined digit
after the confirmation code, or combinations thereof. For example,
if the normal confirmation code requires a 4-digit number to
confirm the account, then a 5-digit number may be entered, such
that the authorization computer only looks at the first 4 numbers
to confirm the account, and looking at the fifth digit to determine
whether a duress condition exists. By entering a pre-determined
number as the last digit, for example a 9, the authorization
computer can detect whether a duress condition exists. Entering any
number other than a 9 would be considered by the authorization
computer to be a normal condition. It is important to always enter
the same number of alphanumeric characters so that a knowledgeable
suspect will not be alerted to the duress code if an additional
digit is added during the suspected transaction. Upon receiving the
duress code, the authorization computer contacts the authorities, a
security service provider, a manager or combinations thereof at a
telephone number or numbers recorded in the vendor preferences on
the verification database.
Communication among the authorities, security service provider
and/or manager of the vendor company and the authorization computer
may be through recorded messages spoken over a telephone system
from the computer or messages displayed on a screen 18. Preferably,
an Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) 26 is used for
communication over a telephone system to a wireless or line based
telephone of the authorities. Specifically, IVRS is an application
program that may be run on the authorization computer that executes
text-to-speech synthesis programmed instructions using ASCII input
to generate a read aloud audio rendition of that ASCII input in a
machine synthesized voice. Therefore, for example, after retrieving
the vendor's name, address, and business type from the verification
database and the dollar amount of the pending transaction from the
request for authorization message, the IVRS may insert this
information in a pre-set format for conveying this information
through voice synthesized audio to the authorities, security
service provider and/or vendor manager. Also included in the IVRS
26 is a means to respond to touch-tone commands that may be given
by the authorities, security service provider and/or vendor manager
in response to menu selections presented by the authorization
computer. In particular, IVRS is arranged to translate the Dual
Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) signals received from the authorities
to a machine-readable format that is recognizable by the
authorization computer 20. For example, if the authorities want to
speak to a person on the site of the authorization computer to
gather more information, the authorization computer could prompt
the authorities to enter a "1" to be connected to a person for
further information or verification. The authorities could then be
transferred to such a person if so requested. Entering a "2" for
example, may instruct the authorization computer to repeat the
message. In either case, whether the duress code or the normal code
is provided to the authorization computer, the computer will
respond in exactly the same way to the vendor's clerk, for example
by authorizing the transaction, so as not to alert the suspect
creating the threat.
An advantage of the present invention is that authorities, a
private security provider and/or a vendor manager may be notified
quickly that a crime may be in progress at the vendor's location
and summon help quickly but quietly so as not to alert the
suspect.
The authorization server may send the vendor an instruction
authorizing the pending account transaction in the duress
situation, the approval response being exactly the same as when the
normal code is used so as not to alert the suspect exerting the
duress. Furthermore, the server may employ a delaying tactic, such
as requesting that the card be swiped again, before approving the
transaction to provide authorities more time to arrive at the
vendor's location before the suspect can flee. Initiating any of
these actions, as well as others, may be determined on a vendor by
vendor basis, such as through vendor preferences associated with
the vendor record 32.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an embodiment of the invention that maybe
implemented on the system shown in FIG. 1. In state 202, the user
or a vendor's employee swipes a transaction card through a card
reader. In state 204, the automatic dialer attached to the card
reader dials the telephone number for the authorization center and
uploads the vendor code. In state 206, the clerk enters the
security code and the transaction amount. The security code is
entered by adding or appending an alphanumeric character to the end
of the confirmation code. If under duress, the duress condition may
be indicated by entering the security code as a pre-determined
character, for example, the digit 9 following entry of the last
four digits of the account number. If not under duress, then the
security code may be any other character, indicating a duress free
condition. Any character entered as the last digit, other than the
designated duress character, will signal a non-duress condition. In
this example, adding a nine to the end of the confirmation code
will signal a duress condition.
In state 208, the authorization computer receives the card number,
the vendor code, the confirmation code with the attached security
code, and the amount of the transaction as entered by the vendor's
clerk. In state 210, the authorization computer retrieves the
vendor record from the verification database. In state 212, the
authorization computer compares the entered security code with the
stored duress code character. If, in state 214, the entered
security code does not match the stored duress character, then, in
state 216, the authorization computer continues the authorization
procedure in a normal manner. If, in state 214, the entered
security code matches the stored duress character, then in state
218, the authorization computer retrieves the vendor's preferences
from the vendor record.
The vendor's preferences contain instructions for the authorization
computer to follow in the event of a duress situation. These
instructions may provide telephone numbers for authorities, the
employee's manager, a security service, and/or others that the
vendor may wish to be notified. The instructions may also instruct
the authorization computer to slow the transaction process to allow
authorities to respond to the location, to always send an approval
instruction for the transaction, to ask for further information to
help slow the approval process, and/or other specified instructions
the vendor indicates are necessary under a duress condition.
In state 220, the authorization computer continues the
authorization process in the normal manner, only at a predetermined
slower pace, as instructed in the vendor preferences, to give
authorities time to reach the business address before the suspect
flees. In state 220, the authorization computer calls those
telephone numbers indicated in the vendor's preferences and plays a
recorded message to the authorities, inserting the business name
and location into the message. In state 222, the authorization
computer sends, after the predetermined time delay, an approval
authorization message to the vendor's employee, without necessarily
checking whether the transaction would be approved under normal
circumstances. This helps ensure that the suspect causing the
duress receives no indication that a duress code has been entered
or otherwise suspect that the authorities have been notified.
Alternatively, in state 220, the Interactive Voice Response System
(IVRS) 26 may be used to allow the called authorities to interact
with the authorization computer to obtain additional
information.
It will be understood from the foregoing description that various
modifications and changes may be made in the preferred embodiment
of the present invention without departing from its true spirit. It
is intended that this description is for purposes of illustration
only and should not be construed in a limiting sense. The scope of
this invention should be limited only by the language of the
following claims.
* * * * *